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Kingston cookout draws more than 1,000

U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston shows off the mementos he received Saturday at the 17th annual Friends of Jack Kingston Barbecue. The hat and plaque were presented by the Club House in Rye Patch owner Tim Works.

The 17th annual Friends of Jack Kingston Barbecue on Saturday drew more than a thousand people, according to Tim Works, owner of the Club House in Rye Patch.“We had a thousand souvenir cups that we gave out with the meals and we ran out of them before we were finished serving everyone, so with the amount of food we prepared we figure that we easily had over a thousand people out her today,” Works said.Kingston, a Republican from Savannah, started his ninth term in the U.S. House last week having been re-elected in November.The annual event is sponsored by the Friends of Jack Kingston and, this year, guest from all over the region showed up for the food and fellowship.As master of ceremony state Sen. Eric Johnson, R-Savannah welcomed the crowd and praised Kingston for the work he has done in Georgia. State Sens. Roger Lane and Tommie Williams also attended and spoke.Williams drew laughter with a story about his young daughter telling him, “Daddy don’t, get dirty” as he left for work one day. But he also told politicians, new and old, that his daughter’s advice was good.Lane followed Williams, and introduced Kingston, saying that unlike many politicians who go to Washington and forget why were sent there, “Jack hasn’t forgotten what you sent him there for.”Kingston thanked everyone for their support and brought his wife, Libby, son, Jim, and daughter, Betsy, on the stage with him. Kingston said, “I and my whole family appreciate your friendships, and want you to know that I couldn’t do my job without the support and prayers from all of you out there.”Kingston then introduced his staff, including Brook Floyd who is the Liberty and Long county field representative.CWO II Matt Groover praised Kingston for his military support.“We have three or four military bases in Georgia, and as far as I know there are no plans to shut any of them down,” Groover said. “So, obviously, he is doing something right for Georgia. From what I can tell, he supports the same military I support.”Ludowici Police Chief Richard Robertson, who attended with his wife Yoko, said, “I’m a big supporter of Kingston and think he is doing a great job. He has helped us out in the past, and I’m sure he will continue to help both the city of Ludowici and Long County in the future, as we grow.”Husband and wife, Mike and Susan Horner came to the outing from Savannah. She said, “This is such a unique place and the food was great. As for Jack, he is such a good guy and has such a wonderful staff. We went to Washington with our kids, and they were so accommodating in helping us with our trip.”As the day was ending Kingston received a Stetson cowboy hat and a plaque made from Ludowici Tile. The tokens of appreciation were presented from the Club House at Rye Patch, the County Line Barn, the Long County Chamber of Commerce and Long County.